(Review by Steve H/ Photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
Finally, after attending several
fairly non challenging gigs, one to excite the musical taste buds. Any
technically gifted jazz musician can knock out Summertime, My
Funny Valentine and even Fog on the Tyne to a
standard where audience members can take comfort in recognising familiar
territory, enjoying a classic tune whilst appreciating the skilled
improvisation. Don’t get me wrong The Great American Song Book has stood the
test of time and great songs don’t just roll off the conveyor belt every 50
years or so but too much GAS can lead to a lot of hot air. Personally, nothing
beats the excitement of hearing brand new sounds. The tune around the corner
may not be as good as the old classic but the element of surprise more than
makes up for this.
David Manington’s Riff Raff gave an
exhilarating and original performance to a packed house in the upstairs room at
the Jazz Café on Tuesday night. All members of the sextet perform as a unit
rather than individual soloists to create a group dynamic. Brigitte Beraha’s improvised
wordless vocals harmonizing perfectly with George Crowley’s sax was very
impressive indeed. The standout pieces of the first set were Bjork’s Anchor Time (the only non Manington composed
piece), The Iliad, which had a bit of everything in it and What
shall I Have With My Gravy? which fortunately didn't.
At the interval all seemed very
positive awaiting the second set with eager anticipation. We were not
disappointed as things just got better and better. It began with Water
Torture which was not at all unpleasant. The next two numbers were for
me the highlight of the evening and both featured Ivo Neame on accordion to add
a further dimension. Danger Pig named after Manington’s young
son’s super hero alter ego really hit a groove and this was followed by Crisps
With That? a Balkan inspired folksy piece. This segued into a ballad. Willow
Tree with Berha singing actual lyrics to the tune. The final number Hullabaloo the title track of Riff
Raff album was a rip roaring scorcher featuring a right rocky solo from
guitarist Rob Updegraff. An encore was demanded and Catch Me the Moon was
delivered, Beraha’s vocals again containing actual words, a slight anti-climax
maybe after what had just gone before. All in all a fabulous example of
contemporary original Jazz and both the size and diversity of the
audience on the most inclement of nights shows that there is a fine
appetite for this sort of fare in Newcastle .
Steve H.
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